Golden Moon
by Sakure of Ice
Summary: The Millenium Moon is a reality and all is total chaos. Who is the father of Rini's child? And what has happend to love unbroken? What will happen to the linage of the Moon kingdom as we know it? It all falls to Small Lady, Sailor Junior Moon.
1. Shattering Truth

**_Golden Moon_**

**_A Sailor Moon Fanfiction_**

**_Chapter One:_**

**_Shattering Truth_**

It was a gorgeous night of elegant waltzes and good times, as if the great wars of the universe never happened. My mother, the Neo Queen Serenity, smiled down on her people with that way she had, something I never really possessed. Beside her was my father, the king of Earth himself; the greatest hypocrite I've ever seen.

This may be shocking coming from me, the princess of the New Millennium and the daughter of the sovereign of love and justice. I must sound much a far cry from the bratty little girl who wanted more than anything to be the lady everyone would love. How short have I fallen from that dream… Even though we have banished all the shadows of our past and have vanquished our demons, we are only human, and have our simple pleasures.

When we are denied the objects of our longing and affection, we become desperate and expert in hiding our ambitions as we pursue them, staining our good names and shrugging off the price as one of life's downsides. It often makes me wonder if we're really the ones that piss off life enough to make her a bitch. My father was the first one to succumb, stealing affection whenever he could from the Keeper of Time, reveling in her charms and her benevolence, never getting as far as first base, but we all must have our ambitions in life. She has had a certain fondness for him for some time; I could tell even from a young age that it was there. She would gaze at him with a longing in her heart that would have killed any other woman with grief and misery. She was gracious in defeat when her Queen married him and kept respectable distance, but leave it to Father to get greedy and yearn for more, spitting in the face of my Grandmother and spurning every promise he made in holy matrimony.

My dear mother was next, sensing the tides shift between them before Father even thought to make his move. She played the blushing bride for everyone to see just for the sake of destiny. She turned a blind eye to her husband's play and even left the couple alone to their own devices a few times. I could see the devastation on her face, but also the recognition that this was long in coming. I could see the time with Fighter rise in her cheeks and bring a certain fire to her eyes she would have reserved for Father. With the consent of her senshi, she ran into the arms of her Starlight and spent many a day in my room, so much so that I would rather sleep in the garden, than have my body desecrated by their sin.

Yes,it was a secret so embedded within the walls of our kingdom; it may as well have been common knowledge, for the staff was well aware and even assisted them in their endeavors. Those whom didn't know would know soon enough and become entangled within a web of lust, ambition, and false love.

It was suffocating.

The other senshi were perfectly fine with the arrangement, as long as it meant the stability of their home and the completion of their mission. All the fighting and suffering they did as champions of love and justice were of far more importance than truth or dignity. When I was born, everything seemed to be set in stone and they practically shoved my mother into the star woman's arms, as if giving her a treat for being a good bitch. The very woman they would threaten and sneer at whenever she was near was now allowed to traipse around nude in my private chambers, as long as Crystal Tokyo was standing with the Earth and Moon were their rulers.

I watch them now as they sit, all smiles, before the greatest lie of them all: my official coronation. All my life I've been preparing for this day, practically reveling in it, until reality reared its ugly head and make me hate everything about my life. I was nothing more than a replacement for a cycle that had no end; a link in the endless circle of Lunar Life. I would reign as Queen of the Moon and raise a brat worse than me. I would die horribly. I would die for a greater cause fighting an evil that would never wane. I was better off dead the day of my birth.

As my mother speaks her words of undying devotion and love for her kingdom, I search her face for truth. She does love her work and her reign as Queen, but the "pureness of heart" and "strength of one" she speaks of is something highly overrated in my eyes and unattainable for any human being. She is still a child in many ways, despite the long years of rearing a daughter and saving the universe. She is still naïve and still unaware that the lowly beings of the world deem her no more than a decorated whore leading a decorated harem with a decorated man no more powerful than the roses he wields. I thought, for a fleeting instant, to plaster a smile on my face, but the thought dies on me when she speaks of my impending marriage.

Helios was a wonderful person to be around, the first passionate love I ever had in my young life. He was there for me during my darkest days and shone with me through my darkest moments; a strong presence any woman would be lucky to have. But, as life and time went by, my affections all but ceased and he became something of a loving grandparent, nothing you really wish to think about when you're sleeping with someone. However subtle, he sensed my change of heart and hasn't spoken to me since, though with my mother as oblivious as ever, I knew that wasn't going to last.

Sighing softly, I turn to face the senshi I could just despise. Mars, Rei Hino, was a bitch on fire if I ever saw one. Granted, she could never top me in steeliness; she holds her own and holds her focus on me like a pet, daring me to so much as step a toe out of line. Serena's guard dog, as I like to call her, knows what it feels like to have a future in jeopardy and will do anything and everything she can to make sure that mine goes off without a hitch as well, or I shall rue the day. Whoever said that being a princess was glamorous was a beautiful liar; something I could attest to.

When my mother's stream of words comes to closure, I don't even entertain it with a clap. My mind is a sea of thoughts and possibilities and roads less travelled. I don't know how I'm going to tell my mother, but it's going to have to be soon, or I may as well not tell at all. I look around, examining the faces of the other senshi. Amy, the group brain, claps enthusiastically, smiling like the Stepford wife she is. Lita also lends her support, not really giving a convincing face that she was actually listening. Mina was chatting up some maid beside her, not giving a damn about much of anything as usual. Rei was glaring at me, admonishing me to show respect for my Queen Mother. The outer senshi were also looking at me with wary eyes, having more an idea of what I was thinking than the others. They knew my secret and even threatened me with exposure a few times, but I was far beyond that. It was then that my mother turned her dazzling smile on me and asked me for a few words. Looking around coldly at the stares I received, I walked calmly over to the podium. Looking out at the people was like looking through a kaleidoscope of happiness; everyone was shining with a dazzling brilliance, yearning to hear what words of young wisdom their future Queen had to share. I smiled at them frostily, though I doubted they could tell through the rose-colored glasses, and opened my mouth to speak. At this stage of my life, millennias of age within a petite sixteen body, I renounced the pigtails of my youth and casted aside the elliptical odangos that marked me as a Child of the Moon. I chose to wear my hair down my back and to grace my body with colors other than white. I wore the darkest of midnights and the lightest of lavenders, anything to escape the structure. I wore darker makeup, but only because it was dramatic and new; also, it pissed off the other scouts, whom were positive it was just a phase. I stood before them now in a dress of pure black with my hair in a long ponytail and loose tendrils. My lips were onyx and my eyes were steely in coal, just the way I wanted them to remember me after this night.

"Dear people of the Silver Moon. You have known me throughout the years as the heir to the throne and the young princess of our beloved Queen. I have seen viscous battles and evil destroy innocence and dreams. I have seen my mentors die time and time again in the quest to aid the Earth and have also seen them on the brink of giving up hope, yet here we are. I cannot say I did not cherish that time as an active member of the Sailor Scouts, but I can say that the times I live in now rip more at my heart than having my life seed taken away. The people I came to know as selfless and self-sacrificing have disgusted me more than I could ever imagine. Every day I see them sneaking around, doing their bidding and putting on a face for the public; it's sickening to me. If I thought for a moment that this is what awaited me at the end of the war, I would have gladly laid down my weapon and be slaughtered. As Princess of the Moon, I will say that I am deeply disappointed and will prove that I am more or less no better. I am pregnant by a boy no one knows and have no intentions of aborting the pregnancy."

If ever a reaction I was hoping to make, this was the one. The crowd gasped, shocked at hearing such news. My mother, the "innocent" flower of the kingdom, swooned while my father was livid. Amara, the one who fought to keep my mother away from Fighter was now snickering to herself, something I more or less figured she would do. Times have changed too much for her to care about such petty things. Michelle wore a more stern face, most likely thinking over the implications of my actions. Trista was already hard at work divining the outcome, though she was most hindered by my father, who was glaring at her viciously. Mina swore outright, wondering aloud what would possess me to get knocked up then squeal on myself. Amy was blushing, shocked that she, with the prized brain, didn't put it all together quick enough. Rei was glaring daggers at me, muttering threats I didn't care to hear. Lita was the only one whom didn't care too much and actually gave me a sympathetic smile, for she knew what I was in for.

Nodding my head, I vacated the podium and made my way to the back hall, a large walkway to the rose garden I frequented as a child. After what I'd done, a few moments of peace and quiet would be all I could gather before they threw me out into the storm again.

"Rini….my sweet Rini…"

I turned to see the one soul I could have done without. He looked at me with the saddest puppy eyes, something my mother unknowingly made me immune to. His soft white hair was disturbed in a way that looked as if he might have been pulling it. His eyes were rimmed with red and his cheeks were stained with tears. His lips bled a little from biting them, but he bit them still, staring at me imploringly.

"Rini……"

"Call me Serena; I'm one step closer to my damnation, so you may as well address me by my damned name."

I breathed in slowly, allowing the air to pass through my lips in and out again.

"It was so plain Helios…..the times I would pull away; I couldn't even bear to have you touch me. Your kisses were repulsive and your attentions were that of a child. Even so, despite all of that, you can never forget a first love or what they mean to you. Forgive me for my lies and deceit; I was the wrong one. I know you will find another worthy of your devotion and kindness, but that one is not me."

I tried to give him a smile, but the notion died before it could properly form. We were on two different journeys for now on. While he stood on the docks at his destination, I drift away on the sea of life, never once looking back on my fate had I stayed, but my fate now that I choose to be happy.

If only for a little while.

The peace was broken when the scouts filled the tiny garden. All eyes were on me, drifting over my middle a little more than I would have liked. My mother was still a basket case of sniffles while my father's face was black with loathing. I lifted my chin and met him gaze for gaze, refusing to back down.

"…..how could you do this to us Rini? Was this not enough for you?"

My mother whined like a child whose lollipop fell into the dirt. It was high and nasally, just as it was when she was a scout-in-training.

"Who is this boy you've been whoring yourself to? Is this the way a Princess of the Moon conducts herself?"

My father's tone was as black as his anger, but as calm as lake waters before a turbulent storm.

"How could you do this to your mother?"

And here is where the storm begins and the torrents of rain begin to fall.

"We can talk around her until our faces are blue, that won't make her any less pregnant. Make her get rid of it and be done with the whole thing." Rei looked me up and down, as if examining a cow ready for slaughter, "She doesn't look to be that far along. We can just tell everyone the shock of repenting caused her to miscarry. Amy, you're the doctor; you do it. Lita and Amara can hold her down while Mina keeps her quiet."

As the scouts contemplated this, I couldn't help but suppress a laugh. As off as it seems to be laughing at something so serious, the idea that I once vowed to triumph over evil and protect love and beauty with these girls is laughable. The most honest, sweetest, hardest-working girls I knew were reduced to this; forcing someone into their mold of "right" and literally hacking at them until the fit is perfect. I could have watched them for a time, but as I came to learn, only fools stood still.

I slipped away quietly and headed for my room, meeting the sympathetic gazes of Amara and Lita, whom were just as exasperated with this display as I was. The journey to my room was not a peaceful one; everyone who heard the news now regarded me with wary eyes, quietly reprimanding me for my indiscretion. I met them all with a cool gaze that dared them to voice their opinions.

When I finally reached my room, I was met with the most beautiful sight in the world.

He was a fair-haired boy with a pale complexion and hawk-like golden eyes that seemed to tear right through your soul. He was leanly built with a presence about him that made you feel blessed. He stood on the opposite of the room, watching every move I made. I refused to go to him, something he would probably like very much, and watched him as well, gold to ruby. When he sensed that I wouldn't submit, he gave an awkward sort of frown. I did want to go to him. I wanted to hold him in my arms and take in his warm essence. I wanted to walk proudly through the halls with him, showing the world that I fear no scrutiny. I wanted to shout out to the mountaintops that he was mine, I was his, and that we had a baby that would be ours. But he was a smarmy bastard that broke my heart every time I saw him; I don't know why I trusted him now, if you could call this feeble hope trust. I guess it is the guise of first love or the bond we made with each other. Whatever the case, I made my choice and plan to see it through, with or without him.


	2. Unprotected Truth

She is my only daughter and I couldn't shelter her. All this time and she's been running into the arms of a stranger rather than the arms that love her so.

I watched the fight between my scouts with tears streaming down my face. It was deplorable the way they spoke about my Rini, as if she were a fallen woman beneath them and not their princess.

"We should have watched her better. Whenever I tried to shelter the brat she would spurn me. She's like Serena if not worse!"

Rei made sure to glare at me as she said this, burning me more with her words than anything.

"We should let the little princess live her life the way she wants to. She's not marrying to form a treaty to save the world. She wants to be with the one she loves most. Judging by the way things are run here, we owe her that much." Amara brushed blonde strands out of her hair and huffed, "We're some hypocrites to that girl."

"I can't believe you of all people are willing to condone this!" Rei shot at her, "This is the future of the Moon Kingdom and that brat is screwing around with it! Are we supposed to stand back and let her make a lesson out of it?!"

"What we're supposed to do is watch her and help her in whatever way we can. Mistake or not, she is our princess." Lita looked to the sky and took a deep breath, "We can't punish her for something that cannot be stopped."

"Like hell we can't!"

"Listen Rei, I know you're angry, but I did a reading on Rini's body. It was weak, since I would have to have her consent, but she is too far along for us to do anything about it. Even if we could, Lunar Laws forbid it." Amy shrugged, fatigue in her movement, "No matter what, the life she's carrying is a Princess of the Moon. To do otherwise is to murder royalty, a high offense."

I felt weak at the sound of this. It was a little girl's life we were talking about; my little girl. I had no idea how to tackle a situation like this, as far as I'm concerned, it had never happened in the kingdom. If ever a love child between the minor senshi, they would be sent to live with their fathers, salvaged if they showed promise at being successor senshi. In regards to the Moon however, there is simply too much power to be given away lightly. My daughter will be thrown to the wolves of society and I haven't the power to stop it; not with my sins.

"The one who should be punished for this is Trista! Some senshi of time you are! Why did you not see this?" Darien turned his wrath onto the woman with fire in his eyes, "Why were you so blind to this?!"

"I cannot watch everything that escapes my notice. There has been so much chaos within the timeline that it made me sick just to watch. Rini's life has been completely obscured by it all, so we were caught off guard."

"I can't believe this. What the hell are we supposed to do now?! We're the Royal Court of the Silver Moon for Serenity's sake!" Rei huffed and circled the birdbath within the small garden, "Where do we go without breaking Lunar Law?"

"Well, we can always wait for the child to be born, then take it from there. Test its power to see if it shall be the next line of the Lunar Line or if it can be taken care of." Amy rubbed her hair in fustration, "If she doesn't have the prowess for the Moon, then we shall have better options."

I chewed my lip, looking to Darien for some type of comfort, but he fumed on, oblivious to my just as potent pain. I didn't want to face this, but I was going to if I wanted my daughter back. Looking on all the things that had transpired since her birth, I could see where I'd fallen short as a mother and a protector. I'd leave her side if Seiya were here and would get antsy if I tried to wait a little longer with her. Whenever Seiya was here, I would use her room to hide my sin, the only place noone would dare look for me. It was like a slap in the face for her, I knew, but I did it anyway.

Some mother I was.

I left the gathering and proceeded onto the chambers of the Royal couple. It had been centuries since the final battle and all was seemingly well ever since. The eternal love Darien and I supposedly shared was nothing but a sham, and I felt only the deepest of remorse when I kissed my new husband and felt nothing but empty dread.

It was a time where we could breath a sigh of relief and solidify our futures, so I did that, and now I pay the price. Dearly.

The hallways were filled with sympathy for me and my husband, while they chattered away in scorn of my daughter, their princess. I could only wipe the tears from my eyes as I pushed my way into our chambers and collapsed unto the bead, utterly defeated.

"Serena……what have we done to her?"

I look up with an aching in my heart. My Seiya. My darling Seiya stood before me in all of her feminine beauty, gazing into my eyes with a fierce devotion I never saw in my scouts for a while now.

I covered my face in shame, "I have taught her evil and treachery my love. I have taught her that love is not to be honored and cherished. I have taught her that she must hide in the shadows to seek righteousness. I am wicked for twisting my daughter so, and it is I that shall pay the price for damaging my own flesh and blood."

As I cried out my grief, the woman I'd come to call my soul mate came over to me and embraced me with such feeling, I could have sworn our souls touched.

"My darling moon girl, we cannot foresee what the future has for us. Rini will know in time her lesson and all will be well, but only if you allow her to learn and not shelter her. If you were to control her actions and restrain her, she will hate you for it."

"What can I do? My scouts will not heed me, Queen or not. I am backed on all sides so it may seem, and my husband will not listen to what I say."

"Forget that rose-throwing fool. You are a Queen of the Moon. And you have a duty to your daughter, the Princess of the Moon, to protect her from fools and murderers alike. If you are not to heed those words, that is what shall surely happen to the babe."

I looked up at Seiya, knowing she could smell the desperation on me, "I know they will. And as a Queen of the Moon; I forbid it."

"Forbid it? You, my dear, have no more authority in your being than an animal in a slaughterhouse."

I knew those words to be that of my former love and didn't give him the courtesy to turn around. I had grown tired of his demeaning words, the only other thing I seemed to have immunity against and held onto the hand Seiya offered me. I could hear the contemptuous drawing of breath, but like his presence in our marriage bed, I ignored it.

"Your daughter is our whoring herself to anyone that will give her the time of day and you're here doing the same. You should not cry, for you are the one who taught her such foolishness."

"That's enough of you. Serena has made her mistake and has repented. She knew what she did was wrong and had apologized to you some time ago. You have done the same, disregarding her feelings as soon as you placed the ring on her finger."

"I disregarded her when she ran into your arms. I was her dead lover! I was her one true love! But she didn't wait until the dirt settled onto my grave to run into your arms. What man would I be not to take the hint?"

My breath caught in my throat and made me gag on it. Those times where I thought I'd lost my knight in shining armor were the worst days of my life. I thought I would have died from the grief. I only had my girls and the Starlights, and it was harder still. I can't remember when I fell in love with the Starlight, but I do know that that love has only gotten stronger and that I wouldn't leave my darling's side for all the rights in the world, this I vowed over and over as she took me into heaven and beyond one star-kissed night.

"That's enough Darien."

I looked up once more to see Amara fill the doorway. Her eyes looked ready to do battle and glared at her king fiercely.

"We're not getting into that old shit again. We made the break and I suggest we keep it clean. You hear me?"

I nodded while Darien only turned away. It looked like he was to get ready for bed, so I bade my good friend goodbye with a kiss and allowed Seiya to caress me in her arms. We stood like that for a while until his clearing throat brought us back to reality.

"Will you come to me tomorrow? There is something I'd like to discuss with you." I didn't bother to lower my voice, "It's urgent, but if you are busy, I understand."

"I am never too busy to see my moon girl."

We kissed each other goodbye and I watched her speed away in a comet-like flash.

I watched and watched until I grew tired and got ready for bed. I washed up, combed down my hair, and climbed into the large four-poster bed customary to the married couples of the moon. It was colder than it usually was, but I never complained. The only time it was ever a marriage bed was our first night and the conception of Rini; both times were mechanical and without feeling. I curled myself up and forced myself to dream.

There were nightmarish visions of my crying child and her lying in a pool of blood and tears. She was suffering, crying out soundlessly and holding her middle, darkened tears in her eyes. I tried desperately to hold her, but my own scouts blocked my way.

The vision brought me back into waking. I turned over to see that my husband had fled at last. Either because he tired of my constant tears or he longed for me to finally sleep to find his mistress.

I took this as a sign to find my daughter, not bothering to put on slippers or wear a housecoat or the other rituals Darien would do to see his women. I could scent the cologne in the air as I pursued my goal; whatever happened this night, something would have to give, one step at a time, but it would crumble all the same.

When I reached my daughter's door, I hesitated, wondering if a girl so set against the world would wish to see me. I almost lost my resolve, until I remember the contempt in her eyes. She would glare at me, seething with anger when her father would bark orders at me and I would follow docilely as if I were a simpering bitch. I couldn't do this to my daughter. No more. I cannot hide behind my innocence and my good intentions anymore. Bearing this in mind, I opened her door and walked right into her waiting arms.

I was shocked at her knowing, her intuition as strong as mine. She gripped me with feeling, something we haven't shared in a long time.

"Mother….I'm sorry, but my heart is a thing of its own at times. I don't even know if it's right anymore. I'm so confused."

I stroked my daughter's hair, "I know how you feel. I was faced with the same decision. And went about it the wrong way. I love you my darling girl, and will stand by you during these tough days, because this is your journey, and I needn't interfere."

She didn't answer me, put placed my hand to her middle. It was too early to tell anything, but I could feel the warm glow of the babe's aura, as if it were the sun itself glowing inside. That's when I knew that it was too late to turn back now; a child of immense power was to grace us with their presence, and I would be there to embrace it.


	3. Bitter Truth

_**Chapter Three:**_

_**Bitter Truth**_

* * *

I could hear their voices, but I didn't respond. It wasn't as if they were actually trying to prevent me from hearing. Too long have their whispers penetrated the night; taunting me and agitating me at first. Now there was a mere echo of feeling, shadows of a farce that never was.

I rose from my bed and pulled on simple light gown, something I've become accustomed to, as Abassador and Princess of my planet, and slipped out of a concealed door. From there I traveled down the corridor and into my deepest thoughts, wondering when everything began to fester and die.

These emotions that war with me and congeal within my chest haunt me even now, and it wasn't made any better by Rini's outburst. One could only wonder what the child was thinking, but the utopian society we live in is anything but ideal. In fighting for this world, we began to lose sight of the fight in us to maintain. Desires became greed, and greed bred sloppiness and scandal. If Serenity could see this now, the weakness of her daughter and the neglectful spite of her scouts, she would break. It is shameful, that she died to see fruition such as this.

I continue to walk, ignoring the whispers and pointed stares of the servants. It irked me how engrossed they were in the destruction of their lives, as well as the bond of the scouts. People truly were like rats, lacking in fur and tails, but vermin all the same. I gave up my life for this. I devoted my existence and sanity for this, and it sends me reeling in anger every time I think of it.

At the end of this corridor splits off in two directions, one leading to the throne room and the other leading to a secluded balcony overlooking the city of Crystal Tokyo. I turned towards the balcony, knocked over at the beautiful sight before me.

She sat there, bathed within the light of a single candle. Her long, dark hair flowed over the pure, smooth skin of her shoulders. The gaze her eyes held as she looked upon the land was tragic and desperate, yet beautiful and ethereal. Every night I come to gaze upon this beauty and every night I am rewarded with the elegant silhouette of her slim, feminine frame.

I wanted her. I wanted her with all of my being, and yet, I denied myself. Years of hating the existence forced upon me, I refused to partake of the moral chaos. I would not so lower myself to sneaking about at all hours of the night, hiding my passions and desires beneath the same cloak of deceit and lies. Not for this angel, whom deserved the pure light of the sun, and all my love would have to offer. As much as it pained me, I could never live by half-measures; and I could never ask that of her.

"Please…."

The sound was so faint, so light, I thought it to be a product of my disillusionment. Only then did I realize the object of my affection and longing now stared back at me. Those eyes like emeralds now shone upon me with a sadness and longing to match the demons in my heart.

"Please….."

I couldn't move, couldn't breathe as the angel walked towards me, reaching out to me in the darkness of the shadows, and the light of the very hopeful candle. It was a dream, a nightmare, an apparition, an angel, approaching me.

Her touch was more than I dared to dream, and everything I hoped to attain. Nothing like the rushing of waves, but the soft blow of a gentle wind within the forest. Her essence permeated my mind and consumed me; all in one touch.

"You stand there and stare at me for hours at a time, but you never approach me. You never say a word to me. And then, by the sun's rise, you forget me."

The hand moved from my cheek to caress my lips, slowly tracing them as if to memorize, as if to convey her longing to join them with hers.

"Amara….don't run away from me."

As much as I wanted to, as much as I wanted to take the Princess in my arms, I tenderly took her hand in mine and gently pushed it away. The pain in her face was unbearable, but it must be done.

"Never. Never would I taint the feelings I have for you by sneaking about like it's something shameful. You deserve more. You deserve better. You deserve all of me."

"So why can't I have all of you now?"

Her pleading threatened to break away at my resolve, but I powered through, wanting to get as far away from this angel, or risk taking her right then.

"Give me time. Until the tide has all but died."

I left her then, walking down that corridor to the fork in the halls, back to the room I shared with my lover. Crawling under the blankets cold and devoid of any heat, I swore I could hear the snuffing of the candle, blown by the gentle wind of the forest.

* * *

"She can hear you, you know! You may not want your marriage, but I love her and don't want to drag her into this!"

"I didn't come here to bitch about your girlfriend! I came here to let off some steam. Are you going to do your job, or do I have to go to someone else?"

"Why won't you leave me alone? I don't want to do this anymore. That first time was just weakness."

"And the second and third time? I don't need you Michelle, if you're going to act all high and mighty now, then there's nothing more we need to discuss."

"Darien!"

"I thought you didn't want to drag your girlfriend into this? Go back into the room Michelle, we're done here."

"What is your problem!"

"You! You're my problem. And my mistake."

I cringe as the door slams, hoping against hope that Amara would wake. It's a feeble and useless hope; who couldn't hear that?

Yes, Darien was only a moment of weakness, and those other times were just habit. After all the years of cheating and secret affairs between the royal couple, I wanted to fix things with Amara, to go through with our plans of merging kingdoms and start lives of our own. How did that involve comfort sex with my king and superior?

Opening the door to the bedroom, I could spy the blonde turned toward the opposite wall in the dark. Her uneven breathing told me she was having a fitful sleep. I close the door and head out into the hall; I felt filthy and didn't want to touch her. I barely step one foot out of the door before I see a figure dart away. It was a bit dark in the spot they stood, so I couldn't tell whom it was, but it unnerved me nonetheless. My heart told me it wasn't a servant.

There were whispers about and conversations in the dark, but when will there ever be quiet again? When will there even be peace and harmony we fought so long and hard to get?

Walking on and on I come to a large picture on the side of a nearly bare wall. It was a painting of exquisite colors depicting a couple. The woman wore a long, flowing gown with hair the color of the night in this light. The man was clad in pure white robes with long, lightly colored hair streaming down his back. The couple in the painting were reaching for each other, calling out with their eyes and souls, desperate to be together. It was heartbreaking to watch. Reaching to get to each other, the couple was hindered by the rolling waves of the turbulent sea.


End file.
